And the Walls Kept Tumbling Down
by WanderingThisWay
Summary: Five people who infiltrated the protective infrastructure surrounding Rikki's heart, and the one who blasted his way in, no holds barred.
1. Cleo Sertori

**Title: **And the Walls Kept Tumbling Down

**Author:** WanderingThisWay

**Characters:** Rikki (main), then by order of chapter: Cleo, Emma, Lewis, Bella, Will and finally, Zane

**Pairings:** Rikki/Zane (mentions of Cleo/Lewis and Bella/Will)

**Summary:** A 5+1 fic. Five people who infiltrated the complicated infrastructure around Rikki's heart, and the one who blasted his way in, no holds barred.

**Notes:** My daughter got me hooked on this show and Rikki, in particular, appealed to the part of me fascinated with psychology (I found her so delightfully nuanced) as such I decided to play *cough* - I mean _explore -_ around with her psyche a bit. I am not one who believes in villianizing characters, and although Rikki is my favorite character, I have affection for all of the H2O protagonists. As such there are no villians here, simply me exploring Rikki's connections to the various people in her life, how each connection grows over time, how each one differs, what she gains from them and what she gives in return. This fic is unbeta'd, please forgive any errors.

**Notes 2:** The first two chapters, Cleo and then Emma, are written. The other four are only partially written but thoroughly outlined and shall be done shortly. I will do my best to post a chapter a week until it is all up, time permitting.

* * *

><p><strong>And all 'round your island<strong>  
><strong>There's a barricade.<strong>  
><strong>It keeps out the danger,<strong>  
><strong>It holds in the pain. <strong>

**~ Tom Petty, Walls**

* * *

><p><strong>That was then:<strong>

Rikki's first impression of Cleo Sertori was that she was a cookie cutter of teenage angst and insecurity that fulfilled every stereotype of all adolescent female protagonists ever written into a John Hughes film.

Practically every school Rikki had ever been to had been chocked full of Cleo's. Which, considering Rikki's father took the word 'nomad' to a whole new level of being, was more 'places-of-institutionalized-torture-meant-to-turn-youth-into-mindless-drones' than she cared to remember.

Rikki knew Cleo's type. Wanting to be liked. Eager to please. Walking around like fillies who'd barely mastered control of their feet, let alone taken the first tentative steps towards mastering life.

She had zero patience for them. What was the point in getting those at the top of the high school food chain to like you if the top was relative and tentative and those who inhabited it were even more insecure and shallow then the puppies that nipped at their feet?

In her estimation the whole ritual of high school socialization was boorish. Not to mention ridiculous.

That didn't mean, however, that Rikki wanted Cleo, a relative innocent, to suffer the effects of Rikki's revenge on Zane Bennett for having the unmitigated gall of existing at all. Rikki could _tolerate_ cookie cutters, but rich, spoiled snobs who felt entitled to everything because they'd never had to want for anything in their entire life were an absolute plague against humanity.

It was for Bennett's _own good_ that his ego be knocked down a peg or forty.

She had thought depriving Bennett's boat of its spark plugs an act of genius, if she did say so herself. And she did. Let Bennett know that the universe didn't always buckle to his will. But when that act had resulted in Bennett tricking Cleo onto his lifeless boat and then cruelly sending her drifting out to sea, Rikki knew some intervention was in order.

She never made a habit out of punishing cookie cutters - they tended to punish themselves. And the enemy of her enemy was also her friend - or however that stupid saying went - which made Sertori an unwitting ally.

It was probably a good practice not to let potential allies drown. Maybe.

So she'd jumped onto the boat, spark plug in pocket, mind already plotting the next way she'd make Bennett pay (hopefully Sertori would have the smarts to stay out of Rikki's way this next time) and had the boat in working order in no time flat.

And then Cleo had thanked her. By name.

So. That was awkward.

Based on the attention Rikki had received since moving to this latest school, which was to say none at all, she'd been certain she'd somehow mastered the power of invisibility, no cloak necessary. To find out Cleo knew her name was a revelation. And also thoroughly annoying. Because really, how hard would saying 'hello'', at any point between now and then, have been?

Rikki might not care about 'fitting in', whatever that meant (she had the feeling it was relative based on personality, the airspeed velocity of an African sparrow versus an English one and favorite ice cream flavor), but a little recognition never hurt anyone. Cleo must have realized her faux pas right away because she started muttering excuses on why she hadn't spoken to Rikki until now and Rikki, basking in the glory of spraying Bennett with saltwater from his own, now working, boat, decided life was too short to add Sertori to her coveted list of 'People I Loathe' when there were individuals named Zane, Nate and Miriam (the three biggest perpetrators of unadulterated snobbery) out yonder who were infinitely more deserving of a little (or a ton, but who was counting?) ire.

So many people to torture, so little time. And all that.

So she decided to give Cleo a free pass. Which turned out to be one of the best decisions she'd ever made.

Because Cleo…. Cleo would come to fill a hole in Rikki's heart she'd never realized had been present. A hole otherwise entitled the 'I'd help this person bury a body in the backyard, no questions asked' role of best friend/platonic soulmate.

Rikki had always operated under the philosophy that it was easier to not like other people _first_, before they had the chance of not liking you. It made moving to a different school every year, and sometimes twice a year, just that much easier. But Cleo had the unique distinction of being the first to say, or at least heavily imply, that such philosophy was hogwash and that she and Rikki were going to be friends - no more than friends, _family_ - whether Rikki liked it or not, so she best get used to the idea.

Of course finding out you had both somehow become mythological creatures overnight did a lot to inspire the aforementioned bonding of mermaid soul sisters, but for Rikki the evolution of viewing Cleo as one of _them_, to viewing her as a person of significant note came shortly before her new-found (and much beloved - mermaid and proud) tail.

There they were: Rikki, Emma, and Cleo, trapped in a saltwater pool, bathed in the light of a full moon, all within the bowels of a dormant volcano which existed atop a mysterious island, with only one way, that they knew of, out. Emma growing impatient. Cleo afraid of the water. And Rikki had implored Cleo to join her and Emma, both already in the water. Had held out her hand… which Cleo had taken.

Cleo exhibited such bravery, then, entering the water that so terrified her. That alone merited high estimation in Rikki's book. Courage had always been a trait Rikki respected. But more than that Cleo had faced her fear at Rikki's (and Emma's) urging. And that was, that was… something. It was the first time in Rikki's memory that anyone had ever shown her that amount of trust.

It was kind of nice to be trusted, even for jaded hearts like hers.

It also marked the first time Rikki wondered whether her system of categorizing others might contain a flaw or two. On occasion. Perhaps. Though she stood by her dissertation that Nate had been grown in a lab, made from various types of fungus (and not the edible kind).

It was obvious, at any rate, during that singular moment on Mako Island, that Cleo Sertori contained hidden depths. Depths Rikki would have missed out on if she hadn't gotten them all trapped on a deserted island with magic powers together and thus been forced into a situation that allowed her a second look.

If Cleo deserved a second look, it was possible, however remotely, that other people did, too.

* * *

><p><strong>This is now:<strong>

Rikki felt Cleo's eyes on her, boring holes into her back, as Rikki feigned a profound and rapt fascination with Will's wall of tools.

The air between them so thick with tension Rikki wondered how Bella and Will had gotten to the door to leave to pick-up some take-out without a machete.

Sure, she had apologized for shutting her friends out, and Cleo had apologized for not believing her about Ryan, but that was in front of Bella and Will. That had been for their benefit because they needed to hear it. Needed to know that the ties between their small group of misfit mermaids (plus one) had not been irrevocably severed. And it hadn't. But Cleo's and Rikki's bond, not to mention their history, went a bit deeper than a simple "I'm sorry, I messed up", so Rikki knew all too well that their brief exchange at the moon pool had not been enough. Not this time.

Cleo would have her say and Rikki would listen because she owed Cleo that much.

And if she knew Cleo, and she did, Rikki had a guilt trip of epic proportions coming in three, two, one…

"You've always been the brave one," Cleo said softly, "always so fearless. In a way I've always drawn strength from that. This thing we're facing with Mako, whatever it is? It became infinitely more scary when it felt like I'd lost you to it. I always thought it'd be me and you against the world. That we were this unbreakable team. I'd forgotten what it was like when Emma and I had first met you. How you used to push us away whenever anything got to be too much for you. I guess I mistakenly thought we had grown past that, Rikki."

Well, ouch.

"Did I always push you away?" Rikki asked, still not turning around to meet Cleo's eyes.

It was that she was afraid or anything! It's just that she already felt guilty enough, Cleo staring her down with the patented Sertori stare of 'I Am So Disappointed In Your Life Choices' would just be overkill at this point. No need to subject herself to it.

...Okay, so maybe she was afraid. Water tentacles she could face. Evil, power crazed mermaid's name Charlotte - bring them on! Narcissistic scientists with eyes way too close together? Pshhh, please, they didn't even merit a raised pulse. But a disappointed Cleo Sertori? That crap was torturous.

Besides, she didn't recall ever pushing Cleo and Emma away. Based on her recollection, one night they were three girls trapped on a deserted island being changed into mermaids - as happens in life - and the next day they were practically living in each other's pockets.

And here Rikki had thought she'd been _joking_ when she'd teased, all those years ago, that the three of them sharing secret mermaid identities together didn't mean they were married.

"Sure you did," Cleo answered, voice breaking up a bit, "the first time you were under the influence of the full moon you ran away to Mako without us and when we followed you, you told us that you were meant to be alone. And then when you started to fall for Zane, but before the two of you started dating, you'd disappear for long stretches at a time. Same story for when you and Zane were going through issues with your father when he thought Zane had vandalized his motorbike. And when things started to come head to head with Charlotte when we were all planning Lewis' birthday, you withdrew from us. Pretty much used those exact words, if I recall correctly, 'I'm withdrawing myself'. And then there was the time your father was considering moving…"

"Okay, okay, I get it. There might have been some pushing away from time to time," Rikki admitted, finally turning around.

It was as she expected. Cleo didn't look mad. Didn't look indignant. She looked _hurt_.

And that was just the worst.

She didn't like anyone hurting her friends, was a tad protective that way (if by 'tad' one were to mean 'a lot'). Apparently that included even _herself_. Which sucked. Rikki wasn't a big on regrets kind of girl. You screw up, you learn from it, you move on - that was her philosophy. This whole regretting thing made her feel a bit like she had the flu.

"You and Emma were my first real friends, you know?," Rikki said. Because it was the truth. She'd never stayed anywhere else long enough to make close friends and even the few semi-friendly acquaintances she had from time to time she'd kept at arms length because she was always so embarrassed about her living situation. Taunting sucked, but pity was just about the worst thing that could happen, ever. She'd rather be covered in honey and dropped into a pit of fire ants than be judged because she and her father barely scraped by most of the time. "You were the first people in my life who actually cared whether I went off to lick my wounds in private or not. Sixteen years of learned behavior is a hard thing to overcome."

She hadn't been trying to shut Cleo out, exactly. It's just the water tentacle, when it touched her, there had been this profound feeling of _belonging_. With it. With Mako. With the mermaid side of her. It had enveloped her like a warm blanket, a cocoon. It had been intense, and strong, and difficult to shake off, even now. Especially for a girl who'd spent the bulk of her childhood feeling like she didn't belong _anywhere_.

But then, Cleo had always made her feel like she belonged, too.

"If it helps, I've always come back and I always will," Rikki promised. And she meant it. She would do her best to make that happen.

Cleo's expression softened and she sent a tentative smile in Rikki's direction, her eyes shiny, though to her credit, she kept the tears at bay. Rikki didn't know how to handle tears, never had. They were... awkward, and she never could figure out whether handing out tissues along and sisterly pats on the back took priority or threatening whoever had made them cry with untimely and painful demise. As a result she always just kind of stood there, internally debating with herself.

Cleo knew her well. It was disconcerting. Sometimes. Other times it melted Rikki, just a bit.

"Good to hear," Cleo said, her smile growing. "You and me against the world?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Rikki took it, lacing their fingers together. "You and me against the world."

* * *

><p><strong>Next up: <strong>Emma Gilbert

**Excerpt:** _The problem with Emma was that Rikki doubted even a skilled surgeon with years of experience could remove the stick from Emma's bum, so tightly was it jammed up there..._

_...But then, while Cleo remained terrified of water, Emma was the one who agreed to accompany Rikki to take their new tails for a test drive._


	2. Emma Gilbert

**That was then:**

The first time Rikki met Emma Gilbert she had had the strong urge to strangle the rigid, oh excuse her, 'reliable and responsible' blonde. Repeatedly and with gusto.

It was just… Emma had the unique power to make Rikki go a little insane with irritation. And it unnerved her a little bit (okay, maybe a lot) that someone, let alone a Miss Know-It-All like Emma, possessed the capability to ruffle Rikki's feathers barely minutes into a conversation.

Rikki had thought herself far more aloof than that. Prided herself on it even. And damn Emma anyway for being the one to spawn an existential crises.

The problem with Emma was that Rikki doubted even a skilled surgeon with years of experience could remove the stick from Emma's bum, so tightly was it jammed up there.

And in Rikki's estimation life was simply too short and too crazy to take it all so damn seriously. Emma was only harming herself by waltzing through life channeling this weird and unhealthy mesh-up of Hermione Granger and Spock of Vulcan. Any fool could see that.

So in the very beginning of their mermaid sisterhood, Rikki had had some rather serious doubts that she would ever really warm up to Emma. Cleo, okay, that was happening, but unless Emma learned to relax a bit there was just _no way_ she and Rikki would ever get along. No way.

But then, while Cleo remained terrified of water, Emma was the one who agreed to accompany Rikki to take their new tails for a test drive. And that moment, the moment they stepped into the water, transformed, shrugged at each other, then mutually decided to discover the sea - otherwise entitled the 'so we each have a tail, let's use them' moment - something rather unexpected happened... There was joy. Mutual joy, they shared, in common.

Who knew?!

Joy was a bit of a foreign concept for Rikki. Most kids pointed to things like birthdays, or Christmas or family holidays as moments of joy, but, well, Rikki never celebrated her birthday (her dad always forgot, at least, he pretended to forget, Rikki often suspected he never brought it up simply because there wasn't enough money left over after paying the bills to get her a cake or a gift and he felt too embarrassed about it to mention it), same went for Christmas and family holidays. So for something to enter her life that was that amazing, that freeing, that _peaceful_… there weren't really any words.

Swimming in the water with Emma, the gentle sway of the tide engulfing them, the beauty of the fish surrounding them, the playfulness of dolphins as they seemed to welcome the girls' presence with open, uh, flippers, the absolute quiet and tranquility of life under the sea - all things that they got to experience for prolonged periods of time because apparently being a mermaid meant having the lung capacity of _legend_ - was, perhaps, the most amazing experience of Rikki's life. It was like fate's way of saying "we know you kind of got the short end of the stick in life, and that sucks, so here's a tail, enjoy!"

And the fact that it was Emma she shared it with, Emma who looked just as excited about life under the ocean, was a bit of a revelation.

So maybe Emma wasn't _so _bad, as know-it-alls went. In theory.

More amazing than the discovery that Emma could let her hair down when in the water, both literally and figuratively, was the discovery that Emma was game for a little experimenting into what being a mermaid en_tail_ed, pun intended.

"_Let's see how long we can hold our breath, Emma!"_

"_Good idea!"_

"_Wanna see how fast we can swim now?"_

"_Let's do it, Rikki!"_

"_I bet, with our ability to dive deeper than even the latest submissible can go, we could probably catch sight of a giant squid swimming around, free as you please."_

"_Don't push your luck."_

It was under the surface of the sea that Rikki first witnessed Emma relax some of that stringent control she kept over herself enough to actually enjoy something. And it was under the surface of the sea that Rikki realized two things about Emma: one, Emma, when caught (or gently nudged) in the right mood, shared some of Rikki's sense of adventure and two, Emma, like Cleo before her, might just possess a hidden depth or two. Maybe. The universe was one big ball of strange, after all, so such things weren't that far of a stretch out of the realm of possibility.

Keener observation revealed that Emma was also loyal, honest and brave. And these things sort of served to make up for the times Rikki wanted to punch Emma in the face.

For the most part.

* * *

><p><strong>This is now:<strong>

She needed Emma. So much just then. Missed her with a depth that hadn't even been felt when Emma had first left them to tour the world with her family, though yes, she had missed her then, too.

Sure, Rikki and Cleo had made up, same went for Bella and Will, and everything was right (or as right as it could be considering they still had Ryan to contend with, and still couldn't explain what the water tentacle wanted) in the universe. But there were still aspects of the whole affair that still bothered her. That made her a little bit unhinged, just to consider them.

She couldn't go to Cleo or Bella with it. The two of them were far too… positive. Too 'the glass is half full and everything is fine as long as we're all friends, holding hands and skipping through the tulips'. Rikki _so_ didn't need that right now. Not that she ever did in excessive amounts, really. Too much positivity was harmful to one's health.

But she needed it now less than ever. Didn't need to hear that everything would be fine when she knew it wouldn't.

What she needed was Emma's honesty. Her cynicism. Her ability to view mankind as Rikki viewed them: wondrous, sometimes, maybe, but fully capable of cruel and violent things.

The fact was that Rikki had almost hurt Ryan. Could have easily done some considerable damage. And this scared the bejesus out of her.

The beauty of Emma was that although Emma knew, as Rikki did, that mankind, as a general rule, just wasn't very trustworthy, she had a profound faith in _Rikki_. Had pushed her when no one else in Rikki's life, not even her own father, had done so. And Rikki could admit, though never when Emma was around to hear it (not even under penalty of death), was that sometimes she _needed_ to be pushed.

"_You're incredibly smart, Rikki, you could be the head of the class if you just put forth a little more effort."_

"_You're better than that, Rikki."_

"_Rikki, I know you, I know you're capable."_

All of which were the justifications Rikki used for picking up the phone and dialing Emma's number without care to whatever timezone Emma had her family were in at that moment. If it was two a.m. in Emmaville, on the continent of Mulberry, on planet Brady Bunch, or wherever it was that perfect families like the Gilberts' went when they holidayed, she was certain Emma would forgive her the wake-up call. Eventually. But needs must.

And if Emma had barely gotten a "Rikki, hi!" out before Rikki interrupted with an "Emma, I almost maimed someone with my mermaid powers today", well, she figured that rudeness would also be forgiven eventually, too.

To Emma's credit - as Rikki had known she wouldn't - she didn't act shocked, didn't feign horror, didn't hem and haw, she simply said, in a calm voice, "Tell me." And in that moment, Rikki loved her just a little bit more.

So Rikki did. And because blunt honesty was how she and Emma rolled, she didn't leave anything out. Didn't modify the story to paint herself in a better light. Went into full detail about fearing the tentacle for months...

"_I would be frightened, too, Rikki. To think Mako would turn on us like that!"_

Then finally deciding to face it because Zane was being a gigantic buttmunch…

"_I've said it once, I'll say it again. He's not good for you, Rikki."_

"_I didn't call you to talk about Zane, Emma!"_

"_Right, sorry."_

To bonding with the tentacle and that all-encompassing feeling of belonging...

"_Not too surprising you would feel that way, given that before the Gold Coast you were never in one place for very long."_

"_Giving me an out, Emma?"_

"_Yes, I am, because somebody needs to. I'm getting the feeling here that you're being too hard on yourself, Rikki."_

To pushing Cleo, and Bella, and Will, away…

"_Oh Rikki, you didn't?! I thought we were over that!"_

"_You, too? Join the club. You'll meet Cleo there, she claims to be Prime Minister of it."_

"_You know, there was a time, early on in our friendship, that I used to worry that Cleo liked you better than me. You were the fun one. The one most free."_

"_What changed?"_

"_I came to realize that I needed you just as much as she did. Maybe even more. For sixteen years we walked around with this Rikki Chadwick shaped hole in our life, you see, a hole needing to be filled by someone who would challenge our individual comfort zones in all of the ways comfort zones SHOULD be challenged, and you fit that bill nicely._

"_Well, I do try."_

To feeling protective of Mako far past what was considered healthy and attacking Ryan as a result.

Emma was silent after she finished and for a moment Rikki wondered if she should check the sky for flying pigs. Had she done the impossible? Had she shocked Emma Gilbert into silence? Was the devil, in fact, ice skating in hell at this very moment? But then Emma cleared her throat, and Rikki braced herself for what was to come.

There were times when a tongue lashing from Emma surpassed even Rikki's own tongue lashing abilities. Which, since Rikki considered herself quite adept at it, was saying something.

So it was a bit of a surprise that instead of a tongue lashing, she got...

"You know, Ms. Chatham once told Cleo and I that out of all of us, yours were the powers that were most volatile. We know, Rikki, we've always known, that you're potentially the most dangerous out of all of us."

Well, that wasn't a secret. Rikki had figured that out her first bloody Moon Fever. The whole losing control of her powers and blowing up everything in sight had been a bit of a clue in that regard.

But the thing was that she didn't like to dwell on that fact too much, because it separated her from Cleo, Emma and even Bella in a way that she wasn't comfortable with. It was easier on her sanity to think of them all as a perfect balance for one another.

Yet there was no denying that her powers were considerably deadly.

Heat. Fire. Lightening. All destructive things. Wonderful things. Amazing things. But yes, imminently destructive. Sure she liked having powers. Liked being special. Unique. Had a healthy respect for them, even. But, as with anything in life, they came with a cost.

If nearly maiming Ryan had been a horrifying thought, the full capabilities of Rikki's abilities were ten times as such. Which is why she kept tight control over them, even as she used them.

Especially as she used them.

"If you wanted to," Emma continued, "you could dehydrate someone to death, or burn them, or hit them with lightning. In fact, we've been in situations where you're doing so would have saved us a lot of trouble. When Denman had us trapped in the moon pool you could have so easily evaporated all the water from her body, sent her blood, and the blood of her lackeys, boiling. Or when Charlotte had us cornered, determined to take our tails from us, you could have struck her with a bolt of lightening. We could have been done with the whole thing just like that. But you didn't. And the reason you didn't?"

"Because there were witnesses," Rikki interjected, almost without thinking. Ah sarcasm, her old friend. Always there to save her in situations that were getting a little bit too emotional.

Emma sighed in exasperation, but Rikki heard a little laugh trying to hide itself under that sigh. Apparently Emma missed her, too.

"Because you're a good person, Rikki," Emma corrected, "no matter what you want everyone to think. And you have a good heart, one of the greatest hearts I know. A heart so strong that not even your parents' breakup nor your vagabond childhood could rob you of it. You didn't hurt Denman, or Charlotte, because you knew better. And the fact that you're so worried that you almost hurt this Ryan person says more about your character than anything else. A person who didn't care about their effect on others would be far more cause for concern, I think. But you, Rikki? I don't worry about you because I know you. I know you're not like that. So does Cleo. And although I have not met Bella, or Will - yet - I'm sure they see it, too. Anyone who loves you can't help but stumble upon your deeply embedded code of honor eventually."

Emma was perhaps one of the very few people in Rikki's life, if not the _only_ one, who could make her blush, so it was probably for the best that Emma couldn't see Rikki's reddened cheeks, just then. No need to add to Emma's already intimating arsenal of Things That Throw Rikki Off-Kilter (patent pending).

If Rikki's room felt warmer than usual, it wasn't her powers doing it.

"No," Emma continued, because Emma always did love the sound of her own voice and leaving things on a complementary note was just not done. "I'm much more worried about all that school you missed while under the influence of the tentacle than anything else. This is an important year, Rikki, it's vital you concentrate. Especially since we're all going to be attending Uni together in a few months…"

Emma didn't allow Rikki a word in edgewise as she steamrolled right into... "Yes, you are going to Uni. Do not bother to argue with me on this. Have you asked about extra credit? How about making up your assignments? I'm going to call Cleo about this, don't think I wont!"

And as Emma continued her tirade, Rikki smiled. The world had righted itself again.

* * *

><p><strong>Next up:<strong> Lewis McCartney

**Excerpt:** _Plus he had had this annoying habit of turning up absolutely everywhere. Like when Rikki was trying to sulk, alone, at the JuiceNet, as you do when your newfound friends have these cool powers and yours hadn't manifested themselves yet. And even deserted stretches of beach Emma and she had thought they'd be safe baring their tails on. Rikki had been tempted on so many occasions to yell out 'Jesus, what have you got a most inopportune time RADAR or something?!' and had only ever just managed to hold herself back. And yes, the restraint that took was considerable.  
><em>


	3. Lewis McCartney

**That was then:**

If being a dweeb were an Olympic sport, Lewis would win the gold, hands down. Rikki had thought that _prior _to her first ever conversation with Lewis and the next five or six (or twenty) conversations thereafter.

The problem with people who kept their noses permanently stuck within the confines of a book was that although they may carry above average booksmarts, they were usually dumber than a box of rocks when it came to _life-smarts_.

Like a textbook could ever adequately describe what it was like to truly _live_.

Thus she had not been impressed by Lewis upon first moving to the Gold Coast, and she hadn't been impressed after she, Cleo and Emma had gained their tails (but before Lewis knew their secret, back when Lewis had been sniffing around Cleo like a little lost puppy).

Plus he had had this annoying habit of turning up absolutely _everywhere_. Like when Rikki was trying to sulk, alone, at the JuiceNet, as you do when your newfound friends have these cool powers and yours hadn't manifested themselves yet. And even deserted stretches of beach Emma and she had thought they'd be safe baring their tails on. Rikki had been tempted on so many occasions to yell out '_Jesus, what have you got a most inopportune time RADAR or something?!' _and had only ever _just _managed to hold herself back. And yes, the restraint that took was considerable.

(And really, was the opportunity to have a good brood in private really so much to ask? Come to think of it she hadn't had a proper brood since Cleo, Emma and yes, Lewis had waltzed, or rather swam, into her life. They kept her far too busy for it. The nerve.)

It was a bit of a surprise, then, to find out that Lewis turned out to be, kind of, sort of, smart in all ways (though she'd never admit this to him out loud, ever. _Never-ever_, even). He was booksmart, yes, but somehow, someway, though some small miracle yet unknown to the science Lewis so worshipped, that hadn't made him completely naive to the goings on out here in the real world.

Point one in his favor.

And Rikki couldn't help but find it particularly weird that it turned out to be Lewis, out of all of her friends, who recognized and appreciated the fine and intricate art of sarcasm (a superpower in its own right). Which must have had something to do with that horde of brothers of his, but Rikki digressed.

At any rate, the ability to respect and wield sarcasm was point two.

Yet Lewis turned out to be special in even more ways. Shocking for a nerd, Rikki knew (it was a revelation that had nearly shattered her entire worldview… nearly) but true nonetheless.

The moment Rikki had first seen Lewis, really seen him, had been the moment he had found out that Cleo, Emma and Rikki were mermaids...

The thing was, Lewis, in all his dweebdom and booksmarts - and upon finding out that previously thought mythological beings were real (and that three of his female classmates were card carrying members of such a club) - had not shown any level of disgust. Not once. Rikki would know because she had specifically looked for it in his expression.

Certainly there had been shock, hell, even Rikki had been _shocked _at finding herself with a tail, and she didn't _do _shock. But shock had pretty much been the extent of it. That Lewis had gone almost immediately from shock to '_how can I help the three of you with this?' _made him one of the most fundamentally good eggs Rikki had ever met. Bar none. And also one of the few guys good enough to be dating one of her best friends (all of whom deserved to be treated as the goddesses they were... and they damn well better be treated as goddesses _OR ELSE_).

She'd never admitted it to Lewis, though perhaps one day she should, when she was in the right mood (perhaps Christmas or for Lewis' next birthday), but Lewis had been the first to appease the part of her that had initially believed that being a mermaid meant that she, Cleo, and Emma were destined for a life of nunhood. After all, what guy would want a woman who couldn't touch water without growing a tail? There was liking fish and there was _liiiiking _fish, and the two probably shouldn't go hand in hand. It was creepy.

But if Lewis could look at Cleo the way he did, like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen, or ever would see, then chances were higher that maybe she and Emma, if they were lucky enough, could find that level of acceptance with a member of the opposite sex one day, too. Tail and all.

She supposed she owed Lewis a 'thank you' for that bit of relief. In theory. Wouldn't want him grow a big head or anything, though.

* * *

><p><strong>This is now:<strong>

Rikki waited until Cleo had given the poor guy room to breathe before approaching Lewis with her idea.

And really, while Rikki adored Cleo, and yes, she also adored Lewis - lovable but annoying little nugget of a brother that he was - had it really necessary for the two of them engage so heartily in public displays of affection?! She'd just eaten!

Sure, Rikki didn't begrudge them this happiness. Particularly since Lewis was only visiting specifically to see them graduate and was set to return to California in a little over a week. And sure seeing the two of them content made her feel content in return. And hell, the world had almost ended a few days prior, so if ever there was a reminder that life was short and to seize the day, giant, potentially Earth-shattering (literally!) comets had to be at the top of the list. But there was only so much her digestive tract could take. She could barely stomach a chick-flick (those had always been more Zane's forte and guilty pleasure), so seeing it all play-out firsthand, within her own circle no less, did not improve her knee jerk reaction to shmoopy _at all_.

Nevertheless eventually Cleo did need to use the restroom and that's when Rikki took her chance. She wasn't ready to voice the idea to Cleo, or to Bella - yet - because she didn't want to disappoint them if the idea churning around in her brain was only feasible in her, admittedly, sometimes overactive imagination. But Lewis was the smartest person she knew and if he thought it they could do it, well, it would give the whole thing much more credibility.

"I think I know how to restore Mako to it's former mermaid-making glory," she told him outright then waited in three, two, one...

Lewis' eyes sparked with interest, as Rikki had known they would and he leaned in closer, attention riveted.

So predictable, their Lewis, if there was anything science related to be done, he'd want to be in the center of it.

...There was a certain comfort in knowing that some things would never change.

"Go on," he said.

"Reheated lava," she replied, simply. And watched as that sank in.

She didn't need to elaborate because she knew, that Lewis knew, that she knew, that he was a clever chap, and years of exposure had made him as fluent in Rikki-ese as Cleo, Emma and now Bella and Will, were. Why waste syllables when it was much more fun to watch her friends put two and two together?

"You think you could melt some of the rock in the moon pool temporarily back to its liquid form to use as mortar?" he asked within seconds. Rikki smiled. No one would ever accuse Lewis of being slow on the uptake and if they did Rikki would have _words _for them. And they wouldn't be particularly nice ones.

He may still be a dweeb, that aspect of him would never change, but he was _their _dweeb. Besides, being a dweeb worked for Lewis, he could rock it like no one else Rikki knew (thank goodness - one was enough).

"I think I can. I mean, I managed to melt the rock enough to extract Cleo's moon crystal, so creating a small patch of molten rock, just enough to cover the cave wall, shouldn't be too much of a strain."

Lewis pondered that, and Rikki took amusement in watching his facial expressions as he considered it. So serious, their Lewis, it was like he was channeling Emma. "But how would you move it," he started, then finished his own sentence. "Cleo."

Rikki's smile grew. There was also a certain comfort in not _needing _to waste syllables. "Yeah. Cleo could use her power to move it in into place. It takes water to make molten rock, right? So she should be able to use her power to move it no problem. Then Bella could use _her _power to harden it. We could plaster the crystals to the wall beforehand, then use the melted rock to cover them, concealing them from prying eyes."

She was getting excited now. Lewis didn't say no immediately, didn't laugh outright at such a suggestion, which meant, in Lewis-ese, that he was going to help make it happen. That is whole thing was as much a forgone conclusion.

"You'd only be able to do it to certain rock, like granite, anything crystallized would be too hard," Lewis announced, though more to himself than to her. Rikki could practically see the wheels turning in Lewis' head as he thought the whole thing through, leaving no detail left uncovered. "And, as you already surmised, there would need to be water present. You'd need to heat the rock to about 1200 celsius, which means that you, Cleo and Bella should be in the water when you do this, it's going to get rather hot in the cavern from just the heat emanating from the rock, but otherwise yes, I think it could be done."

Rikki grinned, lost in thought. Mako, their Mako, back to it's former self before the money-grubbing succubus Sophie and her band of evil henchmen had gotten to it. It was like Christmas.

"It's a really good idea, Rik, I'm proud of you," Lewis announced, breaking Rikki out of her reverie. The buttmunch. It had been such a good reverie, too.

Rikki shifted uncomfortably. Even after all these years she still had a problem taking compliments from her friends, though she _was _working on it. To cover her discomfort she quipped, "Well, we wouldn't want to rob Emma of the chance to become the next Ms. Chatham in fifty years, lecturing the new generation of mermaids on the responsibility that comes inherent with their new tails."

Lewis laughed. "Oh God, I can easily see that."

"Right?" Rikki agreed. "Only this time she'd have us there, too. Cleo would be the equivalent of the old cat lady, only instead of cats she'd have fish, all named something pretentious, like Hector the twentieth. And Bella would be there handing out freshly made cookies and talking about the good ole' days that she was in a band, which would sound infinitely cooler than it actually was considering that _Nate _was a member of said band."

As Lewis laughed harder Rikki felt her heart squeeze a little, pleased that she could still get to him considering he was a bigshot university student now.

"I would be the cool aunt, encouraging the younglings to go out on a full moon because it would be funny… for me. Except for maybe the thermo, we'll give her a free pass on that one."

"And where would I be in this scenario?" Lewis asked, curious despite himself.

He should have known better.

"Oh, you'd be chasing us all around asking for just one more toenail sample," Rikki teased, which sent them both on another bout of laughter.

If Cleo was curious over why her best friend and her boyfriend were chuckling like a pair of hyenas when she returned to the table she didn't say. She simply shook her head and sighed in long-suffering, though affectionate, tolerance and crawled back into Lewis' lap.

"I don't want to know, do I?"

* * *

><p><strong>Next Up:<strong> Bella Hartley

**Excerpt: **_The thing was, people that nice, and that friendly couldn't possibly be 100% trustworthy. It went against the laws of nature. Unless Prozac was involved in which case, sure, whatever._

_… Rikki doubted Bella was on Prozac._


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